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Information for Attendees


Seattle Hempfest 2006 - Main Stage. Photo by Owl Jester.

Seattle Hempfest is held the third weekend in August each year. The next Seattle Hempfest is August 20-21-22, 2010. The event spans three Seattle waterfront parks: Elliott Bay Park (North Entrance), Myrtle Edwards Park, and Olympic Sculpture Park (South Entrance).

Seattle Hempfest is now a 3 day event! The event hours are from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday. And 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Admission to Seattle Hempfest is free.

To beat the crowds, use the north entrance by crossing the Amgen Pedestrian Bridge off of W Prospect Street. It has an elevator and is wheelchair accessible, placing the avid attendee just north of Seattle Hempfest's north entrance. There is very little parking at W Prospect Street. So your best bet is to walk, bike, or take a metro bus to that location. For example, take metro bus 18 to north entrance, and 15 to south entrance. Between downtown Seattle and Leary Way. There are many other Metro buses routes that can drop you at either entrance too. Downtown Seattle has several parking garages. Bicycles should enter through the North entrance in Elliot Bay Park to utilize the bike racks. Attaching bikes to the fence at Olympic Sculpture Park is not allowed.

Hempfest's PHYSICAL address at the park is: 3130 Alaskan Way W, Seattle, WA 98121 (Don't try to mail something there, it is a park! Also, you can NOT drive into the park from that entrance, even if you are a vendor or a delivery).

Park Rules

  • No Pets (Dogs, Cats, Birds, etc.) Please do not leave pets in your car
  • No Alcohol
  • No Narcotics
  • No Weapons
  • No Camping
  • No Unauthorized Vending
  • Note: It is an enhanced felony to sell marijuana, marijuana food, or other drugs in a city park

By automobile

Interstate 5 runs through the heart of Seattle. From either direction, take the Mercer Street exit (Exit 167) towards the Seattle Center, home of the Space Needle. From Mercer one has two options at the first traffic light (Fairview). Turn left onto Fairview, then right onto Denny. Or, one may turn right on Fairview, then left on Valley, which becomes Broad. Both of these options meet up at Denny and Broad. (See a map from Google, Microsoft, or Yahoo.) Continue on either street in a downhill direction until you get to the waterfront. The south entrance to Seattle Hempfest will be on the right.

There are pay parking garages and lots in downtown Seattle (see below) and in nearby Queen Anne. Street parking is free after 6 p.m. and and is free all day Sunday. Myrtle Edwards Park has no parking.

Seattle parking lots and garages

  • Graham and Dunn Building
    2801 Alaskan Way
    Pier 70 at Broad Street and Alaskan Way.
    Hours: 6:30 a.m.–11 p.m.
  • Olympus Parking Garage
    2801 Western Avenue
    Entrance is on Clay Street (one-way, west), between Western Avenue
    and Elliott Avenue.
    Hours: 6 a.m.–11 p.m.
  • Public Parking, Seattle Trade and Technology Center

    2600 Elliott Avenue
    Located on the corner of Vine Street and Elliott Avenue.
    Hours: 6:30 a.m.–11 p.m.

  • Bell Street Pier
    2401 Elliott Avenue
    Across from the Edgewater. Entrance is on Wall Street and Alaskan
    Way.
    Hours: 6:30 a.m.–midnight
  • Ampco
    Surface lot on Wall Street and Elliott Avenue with a pay box. No day
    parking. Evening and weekends only.
  • Ampco
    Surface lot on Vine Street between Elliott Avenue and Western Avenue
    with a pay box. Entrance is on Vine Street (one-way, east).
  • Diamond Parking
    2620 First Avenue
    Surface lot with a pay box. No day parking. Evenings and weekends
    only.
  • Diamond Parking
    Surface lot on the corner of Western Avenue and Battery Street with
    a pay box.

By bike or foot

Perhaps the best way to get to Hempfest is by bike. Myrtle Edwards Park is part of the Elliott Bay Trail which connects to the massive Burke Gilman Trail. One may easily navigate the regional trail system from Sammamish, Lake Forest Park, Bothell, Kirkland, etc.

When approaching on the Burke-Gilman, one has two main routes (see section 4 of the metrokc.gov map). The first option is to cross the historic Fremont Bridge, the most frequently opened drawbridge in the United States. Take a left onto Westlake and ride along the west side of Lake Union all the way downtown.

The second option is to ride the Burke-Gilman to the Ballard Locks, which are open from 7 a.m. - 9 p.m. daily. After crossing the locks, coast through Magnolia, and into the magnificent train yards before hitting the glistening waterfront. If the locks are closed, take the 15th Ave bridge, right on Dravus, left on 20th and down by the train yards.

To the south, the Elliott Bay Trail runs past downtown to SoDo and the stadiums, where one can (sort of) connect with the I-90 trail or contine south along Alaskan/Marginal Way to hook up with the West Seattle Bridge.

For public safety, BICYCLE RIDERS MUST DISMOUNT during Seattle Hempfest set-up, operation, and tear-down:
Thu, August 19, Noon-12AM;
Fri, August 20, all hours;
Sat, August 21, all hours;
Sun, August 22, all hours;
Mon, August 23, all hours up to 3:00 p.m.
in both Myrtle Edwards and Elliot Bay Parks. Bicycles should enter through the North entrance in Elliot Bay Park to utilize the bike racks. Attaching bikes to the fence at Olympic Sculpture Park is not allowed.

By bus

Metro Transit provides local (countywide) bus service. A mind-boggling number of bus routes stop in downtown Seattle. Once downtown, just walk downhill to the waterfront, turn right and follow everyone else to Hempfest. Metro operates numerous park and ride lots throughout the region. Also of note, the downtown core is a "ride free" zone.

To beat the crowds, use the north entrance by crossing the new Amgen Pedestrian Bridge off of W Prospect Street. Modeled after the double-helix geometry of DNA and crossing an expanse of train tracks, the pedestrian bridge is hard to miss. It has an elevator and is wheelchair accessible, placing the avid attendee just north of Hempfest's north entrance. The following Metro routes stop nearby: 15, 18, 19, 24, 33, 81.

Sound Transit provides regional bus service. They provide service south as far as Dupont, north as far as Everett, and east as far as Issaquah.

Greyhound provides nationwide bus service. Rates are decent, and bus rides are interesting. Reserve 14 days in advance and rates are $20-109 dollars one-way anywhere in the U.S.

By boat

Seattle Hempfest happens north of Pier 70 on the waterfront near several public and private ferry services. The Washington State Ferries run several routes around Puget Sound. Pier 52 hosts the Bremerton and Bainbridge Island routes, and Pier 50 hosts the Vashon Island passenger only ferry.

King County Transporation provides passenger only ferry service between Pier 55 and West Seattle via the Elliott Bay Water Taxi.

Victoria Clipper operates a passenger only ferry between Victoria, BC and Seattle. Operating from Pier 69, it's a bit pricey but those jetfoils make it the fastest ferry service around.

For ferry service between British Columbia and Washington, one may also use the private M.V. Coho passenger and vehicle ferry service. This lands in Port Angeles on the gorgeous Olympic Peninsula. To get to Seattle from here, one will need to take a ferry from Bainbridge or Bremerton, or head south to the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and back up I-5. The Alaska State Ferries have (costly) service to Bellingham.

One may also take a cruise ship to Hempfest, should one be so inclined. Five cruise ship companies operate from Pier 66 and Terminal 30.

For those sailing from afar, the Port of Seattle operates three marinas with guest moorage. Bell Harbor Marina on Pier 66 has 80 guest slips. Shilshole Bay Marina is the city's largest marina with 100 guest slips. Fisherman's Terminal also has some guest slips, but requires a pass through the locks. From either Shilshole or Fisherman's Terminal, Hempfest is a quick bike ride away.

For the local boaters, nothing beats Hempfest by boat. Just set your course for the downtown waterfront and you can't miss it. Boaters from Lake Washington and Lake Union must pass through the Ballard Locks, which are open from 7 a.m - 9 p.m. Don't be a stoner and miss the closing of the locks.

By plane

Most of you plane people will touch down at SeaTac International Airport, which provides non-stop service to numerous cities ranging from Missoula, Montana to San Francisco to Amsterdam.

The Port of Seattle has useful info on getting downtown from SeaTac. One may take Metro routes 174 or 194 to downtown for $1.25-2.00 (depending on time of day, all-day transfer passes are $2.50). Shuttle Express offers shared-ride van service to downtown ($26) from the third floor of the airport garage. Gray Line services major downtown hotels ($10.25 one way) from Door 00 at the very end of the main terminal. Some hotels offer shuttle service also. Taxi service ($33 to downtown) is provided by STITA Taxi (under a government-decreed monopoly). To get SeaTac pickup service from another taxi service, one must specifically call them. Town car and limo service start around $40. Several rental car companies operate at SeaTac.

Kenmore Air provides seaplane service from Lake Union to various parts of Washington and British Columbia, and landplane service from Boeing Field.

By train

Amtrak provides nationwide train service. Seattle is on three of their routes: Coast Starlight (Seattle to Los Angeles), Empire Builder (Seattle to Chicago), and Amtrak Cascades (Vancouver to Eugene). Trains stop a bit south of downtown at King Street Station. Fares seem pretty reasonable -- $92 for a one-way from Los Angeles, $42 from Eugene, $28 from Vancouver, BC (6/8/2007 prices).

Sound Transit provides regional commuter rail service Monday through Friday, which might nice if you're staying the weekend. There are two routes, one south of Seattle and one north. The train goes into Seattle early, and leave Seattle after work hours. Southerly, one can ride the train from Tacoma, Puyallup, Sumner, Auburn, Kent, and Tukwila. To the north is a gorgeous waterfront ride to Everett and Edmonds.

As part of their Home Run Service which runs on Sundays when the Mariners play at home, Sound Transit will operate commuter train service Sunday, August 19. The south train leaves Tacoma at 11 a.m. The north train leaves Everett at 11:15 a.m. Now here's the tricky part: the return trains depart 30 minutes after the game ends. Games start at 1 p.m. and usually take three hours.

At campground

Camping is disallowed in Myrtle Edwards Park. You are welcome to camp at one of the following campgrounds. We suggest making reservations a few weeks in advance as these campgrounds tend to fill up during summer time.

  • KOA Seattle Tacoma Campground 5801 S 212th, Kent 253/872.8652
    http://www.koa.com tents/$27.95 per day, rv/$38.95 (about a 30 minute drive from downtown)
  • Snoqualmie River Campground 34807 SE 44th PL, Fall City 425/222.5545 tents/$21, rv/$23 (about 20 minutes from downtown)
  • Vasa Park Resort and Ballroom 3560 W Lake Sammamish Rd SE, Bellevue 425/746.3260 tents/$20, rv/$25 (about 25 minutes from downtown)
  • Yurt Village at Kayak Point 15610 Marine Dr, Stanwood 360/652.7992 tents or rv/$17 (about 1 hour from downtown)

At bed and breakfast

At extended stay or residence suite

At hostel

  • Green Tortoise Backpackers Hostel 105 B Pike St, Seattle, WA 98101, (206) 340-1222, www.greentortoise.net

At hotel or motel

Tourist stuff

Park Rules

  • No Pets (Dogs, Cats, Birds, etc.)
  • No Alcohol
  • No Narcotics
  • No Weapons
  • No Camping
  • No Unauthorized Vending